Oct 20 – The Tel Aviv derby between local rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday after violent clashes between supporters. It follows the ban of Maccabi fans from November’s Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham.
Local police posted on X that five fans had been arrested near Bloomfield Stadium on suspicion of disturbing the peace and rioting. Bottles were thrown and police officers were assaulted.
Police described scenes of “public disorder and violent riots” before the match. “Dozens of smoke grenades and pyrotechnic devices were thrown, twelve civilians and three police officers were injured,” the statement said. “The troops on site arrested nine suspects and detained another sixteen suspects for questioning.”
“Disorderly conduct, rioting, throwing objects, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured police officers and damage to stadium infrastructure – this is not a football match, this is serious public unrest and violence.”
The match was canceled on police orders.
Hapoel Tel Aviv CEO Guy Primor spoke about the decision not to play the match, saying: “The Israeli police made a unilateral decision to cancel the match. There was a great atmosphere – great images, families, 30,000 people. This is not the first time and it will not be the last time that there are flares and smoke grenades during a football match. I just don’t understand how we came to cancel the match. is incomprehensible to me.” Sports should be a top value. It just breaks my heart that so many people are going home for nothing, based on a unilateral decision. No one explained why, no one said anything, they just canceled the match before the players even came out.
The club also issued an official statement: “From the preliminary discussions before the match, it seemed that the police were preparing for a war, and not for a sporting event. The shocking events outside the stadium and the hasty and excessive decision to cancel the match only show that the Israeli police have taken over the sport.”
“When we asked for real-time explanations, we were met with humiliating and humiliating treatment, without dialogue – the same treatment faced by representatives of the Football Association and the league board, who also tried to overturn the absurd decision. When the district commander, Haim Sargrof, was asked to speak to league president Erez Halfon and Football Association president Shino Zuaretz to speak, he declined, saying his decision was final. He spoke of numerous injuries from pyrotechnics, but in reality most of the injuries resulting from the incident were caused by brutal police violence at the end of the match – a direct result of the outrageous decision to cancel the event.”
Sunday’s postponement follows Birmingham police’s request to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from next month’s Europa League match against Aston Villa. Local authorities categorized the match as high risk. West Midlands Police said the decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
That led to resistance from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “This is the wrong decision,” Starmer said on social media. “We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Starmer and his government entered into talks to resolve the ban, but the UK Football Policing Unit issued a stern statement criticizing the Starmer government’s intervention. The unit also pointed out that they had previously informed the home office about the “potential issues.”
“The Safety Advisory Group is made up of independent bodies who make recommendations to licensing authorities and the priority is always the safety of those attending matches and the general public. This process has been supported by the Sports Ground Safety Authority. It is important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions. If there are adverse incidents, they are the ones who will be held accountable held.
“The UKFPU has suggested, in the wake of the Casey Review following the serious disorder at Wembley in 2021, that if the Government wants to play a role in regulating football events that could be termed ‘events of national importance’ it should bring forward legislation to formalize this to ensure that responsibility lies with decision makers.”
Last year, the Ajax – Maccabi Tel Aviv match in the Champions League proved to be a major flash point, with riots and violence marring the match. There were anti-Semitic attacks in Amsterdam as well as anti-Arab chants. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have a notorious reputation.
A detailed report from Dutch authorities describes “a toxic cocktail” of hooliganism, anti-Semitism and anger over the war in Gaza.
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